No One Is Alone
by harrypottermagic32
Summary: TITLE CHANGED. There is a girl that attends Hogwarts, and she affects more than one person's life. But whose? And how? And what happens when Voldemort comes back to try and get Harry? Please R/R to find out! **COMPLETED**
1. A New Student

Hermione, Harry, and Ron all boarded the Hogwarts Express together. They got a seat in the back of the train. Just then a girl came into their car. She was fairly tall, just a little shorter than Ron, and had shoulder length brownish blonde hair. She wore glasses, and behind them were pretty hazel eyes.  
  
"Excuse me," she said to Hermione with a distinct American accent, "Is there anywhere to sit here? I can't find a seat."  
  
"I'm sorry," replied Hermione, "There's no room left. Try up by the front."  
  
"Thank you," she answered, and hurried off.  
  
"I wonder who that was," said Hermione after she left.   
  
"I dunno. Must be new though, she's too old to be a first year," answered Harry. "She looks like she's around fifth year, like us."  
  
"Mmm," agreed Hermione. "She looks pretty nice though. What do you think, Ron?"  
  
"Well, she's not exactly good looking."  
  
"She's not exactly ugly either," defended Harry.  
  
"I can't believe you! You base everything on looks," cried Hermione.  
  
"Oh, yeah, and you never care about looks, Hermione. I seem to remember a certain Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher we had our second year..."  
  
"That was different!"  
  
"Oh, yeah, sure..."  
  
And Harry, Hermione, and Ron continued talking and joking around for the rest of the ride. When they arrived at the Great Hall, they took their usual seats at the Gryffindor table and settled down to watch the sorting. When Professor McGonagall cried out, "Linde, Julie!" the American girl they had met on the train walked nervously forward. She sat on the stool and The Sorting Hat was placed on her head. She was there for a few moments, when the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Harry, Hermione, and Ron, cheered with the rest of the table.  
  
Julie came over to the table. She spotted the three friends and asked, "Do you mind if I sit here?"  
  
"No, go right ahead," Harry told her.  
  
"Thanks," she said. She sounded almost relieved.  
  
"So, where are you from?" Hermione asked her.  
  
"America- New York, to be exact. I attended The New York Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I transferred when my dad switched his job, he's on the Ministry of Magic here."  
  
"What department?" Ron asked curiously. It was the first time he'd talked to her.   
  
"Umm, Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, I believe. The head of the department is Arthur Weasley. He seems very friendly."  
  
"Mmm, I know he is because I'm his son. My name's Ron Weasley. And these are my friends, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter."  
  
"The Harry Potter?" Harry lifted his hair off his forehead to show her the scar. "Wow. So, do you guys play Quidditch?"  
  
"Of course! I'm Seeker for Gryffindor," replied Harry enthusiastically.  
  
"I like to, but I'm not on the team right now. I might go out for keeper this year, though, since Oliver Wood, our former keeper, left," said Ron. "What about you?"  
  
"You'd better watch out, I was keeper at my old school," she said jokingly.  
  
Just then Professor Dumbledore made his speech about all the rules at Hogwarts. Then he dismissed them to their common rooms. Julie turned to her new friends. "Would you mind if I hung out with you guys? Cause it's hard being the only new person when you've all known each other for five years."  
  
"Sure," said Ron. He, Harry, and Julie had been talking about Quidditch while they were going to their common rooms. Then the talk turned to school work as Hermione and Julie went to the fifth year girl's room.  
  
"See you tomorrow!" Julie and Hermione called to Ron and Harry. There was something enchanting about Julie. The boys were both intrigued by her. Yes, there was just something about her. They knew tomorrow would be an interesting day. Very interesting indeed. 


	2. Malfoy, Snape, and Detention

The next morning Hermione, Ron, Harry, and their new friend Julie all headed off to Charms class. They learned how to do some new charms. Julie was already very good. She said they were ahead in her old school. Potions was next. They had already warned her about Professor Snape, and she was a little nervous. They had Potions with Slytherins, so Julie recieved a warning about Malfoy and his cronies as well.  
  
As soon as Julie walked in the door, Malfoy spotted her. He swaggered over in their direction. "Who's your new friend, Potter? Probably some other Mudblood you've picked up like Granger."  
  
Harry and Ron both got angry at once. Harry shouted, "Stop insulting Hermione, you little git!" while Ron yelled, "Julie's pureblood, and anyway, it's none of your business, so keep out!"  
  
They were both ready to cast Malfoy with a curse when Professor Snape walked in. "What's this?" he asked in his oily voice. "I asked you, what's going on?"  
  
"Malfoy was insulting Hermione and Julie, sir," said Harry.  
  
But Professor Snape just stared at him. "A new student, eh? Well, you've all got detention. Potter, Weasley, Granger, and..." he glanced at his attedence sheet. "Linde. And twenty points from Gryffindor."  
  
The next night, the four went to serve their detentions. They had to sort all the books in the library in the famous wizard and witches section, put them in alphabetical order, and dust them off. The work went slow, but they got along. Soon they reached a giant, old, moldy book that took them a lot of work and time. Julie couldn't help reading the words on it. It seemed to be about some old Quidditch player, who was getting to be very good, but before could become too famous, disappeared. No one knows what happened to him. Some said he turned to the Dark side, but others think he may have been killed by Voldemort himself.  
  
Julie was about to mention this to her new friends, when suddenly Hermione cried, "Look, here's a book about Dumbledore!" And they all got interested in that, and Julie completely forgot about the other book.  
  
After they were finished, Ron turned to Julie. "Are you going to Quidditch try-outs tomorrow?"  
  
"Of course. And I assume you and Harry are as well?"  
  
"Yes," replied Harry. "And we'll be so busy. What with Quidditch, homework and classes, and the annual Halloween ball coming up." Without meaning to, Harry glanced at Hermione, then quickly looked away. He could see Ron was just looking down, suddenly very interested in his shoes.  
  
"Well," said Hermione, to break the silence, "I guess Julie and I will head upstairs. Good night."  
  
"Good night," said Ron. "And don't forget about Quidditch try-outs tomorrow!" 


	3. Quidditch Try-Outs

Julie was awakened by rays of sun peeking in to her window. Oh yes, today was the Qudditch tryouts! She was kinda nervous, because she wanted to make a good impression in her new school. She got up, dressed, and grabbed her broom, a Nimbus 2000. Sure, it wasn't the best broom, but it wasn't too bad, either. Of course, Harry's Firebolt far surpassed it, but she was contented with the Nimbus anyway.  
  
Hermione was still asleep, she'd been up studying all night. Hermione and Harry were both prefects, and though Harry took the job a little more linently, Hermione was more serious about her work. She wanted to become Head Girl in her seventh year. Secretly, Julie felt there would be no contest, Hermione really didn't have any other competition.   
  
Julie decided not to wake Hermione and headed down to the common room. To her surprise, Harry and Ron had been waiting for her.  
  
"Hello," she said, " ready for the big try-outs?"  
  
"Well, it's really no problem for Harry, he's practically guarenteed to be on the team. Me, well, I don't know. I can't decide wether it's an advantage or a disadvantage as having Fred as captain."  
  
"Fred?"  
  
"He's my brother. Fred and George are twins. They're in their 7th year."  
  
By this time the trio had reached the field. Other Gryffindors were already there, swooping about on their brooms. Most of them were there for the keeper position, since almost everyone that had been on the team the year before got on again. They checked out the competition. Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Parvati Patil, Colin Creevy (oh brother, thought Harry), and... Neville Longbottom?  
  
"Neville!" cried Ron. "What're you doing here?"  
  
Neville turned red in the face. "My Gran made me come. She always dreamed of me being a successful Quidditch player. I tried to tell her I have no flying abilities, but she wouldn't listen. I know I have no chance."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Neville," said Harry. "Besides, you're better at other stuff, like, erm... Herbology."  
  
"Yeah," said Neville sadly, and walked away.  
  
"Ahem," Fred Weasley cleared his throat loudly. "Will you all please quiet down? We will start with try-outs for keeper. All of you please come over here." As they walked over, the last name of each contestant went across the magical scoreboard.  
  
"This is what you have to do," continued Fred. "You will each go in front of the goal posts. 20 quaffles will be shot at the goal. Whoever blocks the most in the most effective way will get the position. It's as simple as that. Creevy, get up there."  
  
They watched Colin fly up blocking the quaffle. He was pretty good. So was Dean, Seamus and Parvati. Poor Neville, he only blocked one, and it was one that had come hurtling at him and he blocked it with his stomach. Julie and Ron were both very good. At the end, the score board read this:  
  
Creevy Finnigan Linde LongbottomPatil ThomasWeasley 1016 191 9 12 19  
  
It was tied between Julie and Ron. Fred sent them each down to different goal posts. He told them whoever missed a Quaffle first would lose, the other person would be the keeper.   
  
They worked hard. Neither seemed ready to give up. With every Quaffle, Julie got more nervous. She glanced over at Ron. There was a look in his eyes. That look. It almost broke her heart. So full of confidence, hope, and longing. Suddenly she remembered what the Sorting Hat had said to her when he put her in Gryffindor.  
  
"Hmm, not a bad mind, I see. You would do well in Ravenclaw. And you seem to be very loyal and understanding as well. Important Hufflepuff qualities. But the thing that stands out to me is your bravery. You've got the courage to start making new friends here, I can tell you'll be making friends that will last you a lifetime. Therefore, I think you'd better be GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
She looked at Ron again. His friendship was very important to her. He was important to her. She sighed. She knew what she had to do. She made sure she missed the next Quaffle, but only by a quarter of an inch. Fred blew the whistle, and the two came down off their brooms. "Congratulations, Ron, you are our new Gryffindor keeper."  
  
The crowd cheered. Ron's face, especially his eyes, was just so full of joy, of excitement, of bliss, that Julie couldn't help but smile. She wasn't sure what had made her do it, but something just told her to let Ron win.  
  
"Congratulations," she said to him.  
  
"Thanks," he said. "You did very well. I thought you'd get it. Fred said that you're the reserve keeper though. Umm, hey Julie?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I was just wondering, wouldyouliketogototheholloweenballwithme?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Would you like to go to the Halloween Ball with me?"  
  
"Well... yeah, sure. I'd love to!"  
  
They watched the rest of the try-outs. The rest of the team remained the same, with the addition of Ron. After they were all done, Harry grabbed Julie's arm. He pulled her over to the side of the field. "You let Ron win, didn't you?"  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"Come on, don't play games with me. I could tell. You're too good of a player to have missed that Quaffle. You did it on purpose."  
  
"All right, but please don't tell Ron. He just looked so hopeful, and then when he won so happy, I just couldn't bear to see him unhappy."  
  
"Did he ask you to the ball yet?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yes, and of course I agreed to go with him. You'd better ask Hermione. I'm sure she'd go with you." And with that, Julie ran off to join Hermione. Giggling, she told her about Ron asking her to the ball and her talk with Harry. The rest of the day was very fun, Harry, Ron, and Julie played a small game of Quidditch by themselves, with Hermione sitting on the ground watching them while doing her Transfiguration homework. Even though Julie didn't get to be the keeper, she felt this had been a really good day.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
A/N: I really hope you've enjoyed the story so far!  
  
I wasn't planning on revealing what the sorting hat said to Julie or having Ron ask her out yet, but this chapter kinda wrote itself. I had no control! It's taking over!  
  
Any comments, suggestions, or ideas would be welcome. Any flames would not be.  
  
Thanks! 


	4. Quidditch Balls and Dancing Balls

Julie, Ron, Harry, and Hermione all headed out to the Quidditch field the next Saturday morning. Although Julie and Hermione were not on the team, they'd agreed to come and watch Ron and Harry practice.  
  
Tonight was also the Halloween Ball. Julie and Hermione talked about it in the stands while they watched the practice.  
  
"So Hermione, has Harry asked you to the ball yet?"  
  
"Yes, he asked me last night, right after supper." replied Hermione.  
  
"Oh, that's so exciting!" said Julie.  
  
"And you're going with Ron," teased Hermione. "So what are you wearing?"  
  
"Oh, I've got these really nice dress robes. They're black, but they've got yellow and orange stars all over them. What are you wearing?"  
  
"My dress robes are violet silk, with peach stripes," replied Hermione.  
  
Meanwhile, the boys started Quidditch practice. They had a new referee, since Madam Hooch, the old flying teacher, retired last year. His name was Professor Smogen. He had sleek, black hair, and chocolatey brown eyes. Many of the girls in school thought he was quite good looking.  
  
"All right," said Professor Smogen. "I'm going to release the bludgers now. Get ready, Fred and George, watch out for these."  
  
And the bludgers were released. Fred and George chased wildly after them. Mighty fine beaters they were, almost never let a bludger get past them. Well, I did say almost. The bludgers seemed to be particularly fast and furious today, so while George was chasing one, Fred was after the other. Suddenly the one Fred was after made a sharp turn and knocked Harry right off his broom.  
  
"Harry!" screamed Hermione from the stands. She came rushing down, Julie close behind. Hermione ran up to Harry and knelt down beside him. Julie, however, stayed back, and watched to see what Professor Smogen was going to do.  
  
He was watching Harry closely, with a look on his face that Julie couldn't identify. Hermione was sobbing, and Ron and the rest of the team immediately came down to see what happened.  
  
"We have to get him to the hospital wing!" cried Hermione. Harry was almost unconscious. Fred and George picked up Harry and carried him to the school. Professor Smogen just looked on.  
  
Then he noticed all the students were looking at him. "Oh," he said, "I think that's enough for today. Practice will be the same time next week." With that, he walked into Hogwarts.  
  
Julie walked over to Hermione. "Don't worry, It will be okay," she consoled her. "Madam Pomfrey will fix Harry up in no time, and he'll be all better in time for the Ball tonight."  
  
"Thanks, Julie." Hermione walked to the hospital wing to visit Harry. Ron walked over to Julie.  
  
"Ron, I just don't get it!" cried Julie. "I don't like the new Professor. He didn't do anything when Harry was hurt. He just stared at him, and there was a look on his face that I didn't like one bit."  
  
"Well, don't worry about it, Julie. I'm sure he was just surprised and didn't know what to do. This is his first time being a teacher. And he is an amazing Quidditch player. I'm surprised her wasn't on a professional team."  
  
Julie didn't say anything. "I guess I'll see you at the ball tonight," said Ron, and hugged her quickly before he left.  
  
Hours later, Julie and Hermione were in their rooms, getting ready. Harry had been returned from the hospital wing half an hour earlier, and said he felt much better. The two girls giggled excitedly, and went downstairs to the common room.  
  
The boys were already there. Harry looked amazing in green velvet dress robes that matched his eyes. Ron was looking much better than the Yule Ball last year. Hermione had taught him the muggle trick of sewing, and had helped his improve his old robes by taking off the lace and mending the fraying ends.  
  
The two couples walked down the hall together to the Great Hall. Julie gasped as they arrived. The Great Hall had an eerie, halloweenish feeling to it, but it wasn't exactly frightening.  
  
They had fun hanging out with all their friends. Then the first slow song of the night came on. Harry took Hermione's arm and led her out to the dance floor. Ron tentatively took Julie and brought her out as well. He was blushing madly. Julie just smiled. It felt good to be dancing there, with Ron's arms around her. As the song ended, she saw Harry and Hermione share a kiss. Ron noticed her watching them, so he quickly kissed her on the cheek.  
  
Even though it was only for a second, and only on the cheek, it sent a sensation through Julie. Sure, she'd been kissed by other boys before, but for some reason, this was something different. She heart raced and she felt as if she could fly. She felt invincible. It was an amazing feeling.  
  
She went over to get a drink and snack to calm her down. Just then she heard a scream. It sounded like Hermione. Julie ran over to the sound of the scream, outside by the lake. Sure enough, there was Hermione. And Harry. And Ron's little sister, Ginny. Both were damp. Ginny was lying on the floor, and Harry was sitting next to her.  
  
"What happened?" asked Ron, who had also run over.  
  
Hermione was sobbing. "I can't believe you, Harry!" then she turned to Julie. "He was kissing Ginny."  
  
"It's not what you think!" cried Harry. To me, he looked innocent. But then, I couldn't be too sure.  
  
Hermione ran to the common room, crying the whole time. "My baby sister!" cried Ron. "And how could you do that to Hermione?" and he also left the ball. Ginny got up and walked after Ron, saying, "please wait, let me explain!" That left only Julie.  
  
"What really happened, Harry?" asked Julie in a soft voice.  
  
Harry took a deep breath. "Ginny fell in the lake. She didn't know how to swim. I jumped in and grabbed her, but she wasn't breathing. I didn't know any spells that would help, but I remembered when my muggle school made us take a first aid course. I learned CPR. It was the only way I knew how to help her. Please, you've gotta believe me, Julie."  
  
And Julie looked into his eyes, and could see the sincerity in them. "Of course I do, Harry. And I'll try to talk to the others for you."  
  
"Thank you, Julie."  
  
************************************************************************  
A/N: Say, I think this is my longest chapter! Thanks for all the reviews. I love you all!  
  
Please review! I would love any comments or suggestions!  
  
Anyone who reviews my story will get thiers reviewed by me! (can't resist a little bribery, can ya?)  
  
Thanks!  
  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, and all his friends, belong to JK Rowling (lucky her!) Julie and Professor Smogen are my own creations. 


	5. The Truth Is Revealed

Julie was arguing with Ron. "Just listen to Harry's side of the story, you have to understand!"  
  
Harry had been watching the two arguing, but now he stepped in. "I don't want this to ruin the relationship between you two. Please, just leave it alone for now, for the sake of your relationship."  
  
Finally, Ron turned to face Harry. "All right, I'll hear you out. But it's only for Julie's sake."  
  
Harry began. "I know this seems like a fishy story, but you've got to believe me. We were wet, right? Weren't we?"  
  
"I suppose you were," Ron replied cautiously.  
  
"Well, Ginny had fallen in the lake. I heard her screaming, and jumped in to save her. When I brought her out, I could tell she was having trouble breathing, so I performed CPR. It's a muggle technique to save lives since I didn't know any good spells," he added, seeing the confused look on Ron's face. "And then Hermione came along, and the rest, as they say, is history. You do believe me, don't you Ron?"  
  
Ron looked into his best friend's face, and knew he was telling the truth. "Of course," he said, and the two joined briefly in a brotherly hug. Then Harry continued.  
  
"And I miss Hermione so much. Right now, I'd do anything to get her back, anything! It was a misunderstanding, and I'm so sorry it happened, and I don't know what to do!"  
  
"Well, don't tell us, tell Hermione," Julie stated softly.  
  
"Will you two come with me?" They agreed, and the three of them approached Hermione in the corner of the room.  
  
"What do you want?" she asked rather crossly.  
  
"To tell you the truth," replied Julie. "Just listen."  
  
So Harry took a deep breath, and told Hermione everything he had just told Ron and Julie. He ended with, "I'm so sorry, Hermione, and hope you understand."  
  
Hermione broke down into tears. "I'm the one that should be sorry! I should've known you weren't kissing! You wouldn't do that to me. It didn't even look like you were. All I knew was that she was on the ground, and you were on top of her, and your lips were touching. I shouldn't realized, but I just couldn't think straight." She breathed slowly and wiped away her tears. "I'm afraid we can't be boyfriend and girlfriend anymore, though, Harry. I'm just not ready for that kind of responsibility and those feelings. But I would like us all to be friends again and get along."  
  
"All right," Harry said slowly, trying to register what she had said. "Yes, that's all right with me too. I'm not sure if I'm ready either."  
  
Everyone was glad they'd made up. Hermione and Julie even went to watch the boys in Quidditch practice. The two sat in the stands, chatting as if they were old friends. As the team practiced dodging bludgers, Professor Smogen turned to the two girls.  
  
"What're you doing here?" he asked them.  
  
"Oh, we're just watching our two friends practice," replied Julie.  
  
"Oh yeah, and who are your friends?" Professor Smogen asked, trying to make conversation.  
  
"Ron Weasley and Harry Potter."  
  
"Harry Potter?" Smogen repeated. "You two lovely ladies are friends to the famous Harry Potter? And Ron Weasley? You're all friends?"  
  
"That's right," said Julie, curious as to why Professor Smogen found this so interesting.  
  
"Well, that's nice," he said quickly, "I'm always glad to see kids getting along. So what are your names, anyway?"  
  
"I'm Julie Linde, and this is Hermione Granger."  
  
"Julie and Hermione. I'll try to remember that. Yes, I'll definitely try to remember you." With that, he returned to practice.  
  
"Wow, he's so hot!" gasped Hermione. "And he's going to try and remember us! Isn't that fabulous?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess so," replied Julie, who couldn't help feeling that there was more to this Smogen character than meets the eye. 


	6. A Mystery

The next few days were all spent studying in the library. Mid terms were coming up, and they had to be on top of things. Especially Hermione, as a prefect. The others were not prefects, but could become them next year, so they had to work hard. Not that all of them cared.  
  
"Come on, Julie, what difference does it make if you're a prefect or not?" Ron complained. "Let's go out and have some fun."   
"You know this is important to me Ron. And you should be working hard, too. You might want to be a prefect next year. It will help in where you want to go for a career. And look, even Harry's working hard. You could put a little effort in."  
  
"You sound just like Hermione," he complained, but got to work on his Potions essay anyhow.  
  
Later that night, Julie was the only one left in the library. Even Hermione had gone down to the common room, saying that she was going to tutor Ginny now that the two had made up and become friends.  
  
Julie stayed because she wanted to do a little studying on the history of Quidditch players. She wanted to look to a career in Quidditch, so she was going to study how these people got their claim to fame.  
  
After looking through a few books, she came across a very interesting looking one. It was one of the books she'd had to clean during detention about three months ago. The moving face on the cover looked deathly familiar, but she just couldn't place it. He had a familiar glint in his chocolately brown eyes.  
  
She was soon absorbed in the story about this mysterious Quidditch player. Although the book itself looked very old, it actually wasn't. The young man, Henry Negoms, started playing Quidditch when he was only seventeen. After one year on Canada's team, he was traded to England's very own Chudley Cannons. Hmm, thought Julie, maybe Ron knows about him. The book said that after one year on the Cannons, Negoms had what looked like a very promising future as a chaser. Could have been one of the best.  
  
But then, he just disappeared. The book said no one knew what happened to him. Some thought he was killed by Lord Voldemort, but others thought he had turned to the Dark Side. Julie flipped back to the cover. The picture of Negoms stared back at her. The young man, with sandy colored hair, smiled a pure and innocent smile. Julie couldn't help but smile back. How could someone like that be involved on the Dark Side?  
  
But this story intrigued Julie. She just had to solve the mystery of Henry Negoms. Could it be that no one knew anything about him? Why, didn't he have any family?   
  
Julie glanced down at her watch. It had gotten pretty late and she hadn't even noticed. Well, she could ask Ron what he knew about Negoms tomorrow. She couldn't figure this out, but she had to know. Why, she had no idea. It was just something important to her.  
  
************************************************************************  
A/N: I'm really sorry I didn't update in awhile! In fact, this should have been posted sooner, but, erm... I kind of got an infraction from ff.net for posting something that wasn't actually a story. I'm sorry! So I'm banned from posting anything until June 1. But who knows? Maybe I'll have time to write the next chapter while I wait for next Saturday to come. Again, I'm really sorry everyone! 


	7. A Letter To Viktor Krum

A/N: Yay, ff.net is finally back! I'm so happy! Umm, I'm sorry if this story isn't updated that often, but I find it easier to write my other stories. So if you're looking for something to read, check out some of my other stories. Also, if you have some free time, I'd really appreciate it if you'd check out my website. It's an HP website, the address is www.geocities.com/harrypottermagic32/hogwarts. Thanks!  
  
************************************************************************  
  
It was Saturday morning, and most Gryffindors were lounging around in the common room. Harry and Ron were playing wizard chess, and Hermione and Julie were sitting around talking with Ginny.  
  
"Ha! I won!" yelled Ron, and got up and started dancing around the room. Mostly everyone was used to Ron's victory dance whenever he beat Harry in chess, so they all ignored him.   
  
"That's it, I give up!" cried Harry. "I want to play with someone who doesn't always win!"  
  
"Well, I'll play with you, Harry," said Ginny quietly.  
  
Harry turned and looked at her. "Well, okay Ginny," he said softly, and the two went into ther corner and started setting up chess pieces.  
  
Hermione turned and looked at Julie and Ron. "I just remembered," she said, "I have some work I have to get done. You know, prefect stuff." And with that, she headed off to her bedroom.  
  
Julie turned to Ron. "Oh, Ron," she cried, "I just remembered. I had something to ask you. It's about the Cudley Cannons."  
  
"Well," he smiled, "I'm an expert on that. What do you want to ask?"  
  
"Are you familiar with a player named Henry Negoms?" Ron slowly shook his head. Julie continued. "He played about four years ago for them, and he was young, only about eighteen or nineteen. He was a chaser, and played with them for about a year."  
  
"Hold on, said Ron. He ran upstairs, and came back clutching a giant, bright orange book. He threw it down on the table.  
  
"The History of The Chudley Cannons," Julie read aloud from the cover.  
  
"In here," said Ron, "Is a list of every player that every played on the Chudley Cannons."  
  
Julie took the book and shuffled through it. Finally, she found the year that Henry Negoms played. There, listed under Chaser, was a picture of him. The same smiling, sandy haired man. There wasn't much information listed about him, except that he had attend Durmstrang School.  
  
Julie's eyes lit up. "Hermione!" She cried, and ran to their shared bedroom.  
  
Ron stood there, confused. "Hermione?" he asked the empty room.  
  
Meanwhile, Julie had burst into their bedroom. Hermione was sitting at the desk, writing something. "Hermione!" cried Julie again.  
  
Hermione smiled. "What is it, Julie?" she asked calmly.  
  
"Could you do me a favor?"  
  
"Most likely."  
  
"Do you still keep in touch with Vikor Krum?" she asked her.  
  
"We write every now and then," replied Hermione.  
  
"Look," said Julie breathlessly, with a glint in her eye, "I need you to write to him." Obidently, Hermione took some parchment and quill out of her desk drawer. "Just make it friendly like, and then add this. Say: I was just wondering if you knew about a Quidditch player named Henry Negoms. He played for the Chudley Cannons one year, and he attended Durmstrang four or five years ago."  
  
Hermione jotted this down, then raised an eyebrow. "Why is this guy Henry Negoms so important to you all of the sudden?"  
  
"Oh," started Julie, "Umm, it's just for an extra credit project for Professor Smogen." For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to tell Hermione the truth. And Julie couldn't figure out why she felt this way. After all, it wasn't as if she were doing anything wrong. Still, she felt like this was her mystery, and only she and Ron could solve it. 


	8. Unlikely Information

A/N: I haven't updated this story in so long! But I am now. I don't want to go back to school!! School starts in a week- it'll be my first year in high school. I'm going to get lost! And I won't have as much time for ff.net :( Also, I changed the title, and I have to put in a disclaimer for that. The title is a song by Stephen Sondheim, from the musical Into The Woods (the best musical ever!). Anyway, here's the story!  
  
************************************************************************  
It was yet another glorious Saturday morning, and as usual, Ron and Harry were at Quidditch practice. Julie sat in the bleachers watching them, and waiting for Hermione, who had slept in. With only about a half an hour left of practice, Julie figured that Hermione wasn't coming when she saw the familiar figure hurrying towards her.  
  
"Hey, Herm!" Julie called out. She was the only one who could get away with calling Hermione "Herm." She didn't mind Mione, though.  
  
"Julie!" smiled Hermione, as she took the seat next to her. "I hope I'm not too late. By the way, this morning I got an owl from Viktor about Henry Negoms. Here it is," said Hermione, as she handed over the letter to Julie.  
  
Julie read it silently to herself. This is what he said about Henry Negoms. "As for that Henry Negoms fellow, yes, he did attend Durmstrang. I hardly knew him though, he was in his seventh year when I was in my first. He was already becoming a famous Quidditch player at that time, and I greatly admired him. I sent along a picture of me and him I had taken back then. I know he went to play for a Canadian team for a year, and then he was traded to the Chudley Cannons, where he played for a year. I don't really know what happened to him after that. Just disappeared. I remember his mother coming to the school one day asking if anyone had seen him, but there had been no notice of him. I don't know if any of this information helped your friend with her report, but it's all I know about him. Hope to have helped."  
  
Just as Julie was finishing up the letter, Hermione gasped. "Shoot! I forgot I promised to meet Professor McGonagall about some work! I have to run!" And Hermione was gone.  
  
I was a good thing, too, because Julie wouldn't have wanted Hermione to see her next reaction. Her reaction to the picture that fell out of the letter. At first Julie just recognized it as that same Quidditch player whose picture she had seen before. But he still looked familiar and it was killing her.   
  
She decided to watch the Quidditch game to get her mind off it. But just as she was looking up, Professor Smogen rode past her on his broom. And Julie almost fell off the bleachers.  
  
That was why Henry Negoms looked so familiar! He looked exactly like Professor Smogen! Well, not exactly alike, but they had a few of the same features. They could be brothers. Or they could be the same person.  
  
The Quidditch practice ended soon after and Julie went running up to the field and grabbed Ron by the arm. "We need to talk," she hissed in his ear.  
  
Ron looked confused as she lead him to some far off tree. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Remember that Henry Negoms guy I was asking you about? Well, here's a picture of him." Julie thrust the picture into Ron's hands.  
  
"Umm, that's nice," said Ron, still clearly puzzled. "Hey, isn't that Viktor Krum with him?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, that's not important," pressed Julie. "Look at Negoms. Does he look like anyone to you?"  
  
"Well, not really," replied Ron. "Maybe if I squint a whole lot he looks a bit like McGonagall."  
  
"Ron, this is not a time for jokes!" cried Julie. "Look at his features. Doesn't he look just like Professor Smogen?"  
  
"Ohhh!" said Ron. Now he saw it. "But what, exactly, does this mean?"  
  
"It means," grinned Julie, "That we've got a real mystery on our hands." 


	9. Smogen Negoms

For awhile, though, Julie and Ron just weren't sure of what to do about their mystery.   
  
"So what if Smogen looks like Negoms? Maybe they're brothers or something," said Ron.  
  
"No way!" cried Julie. "That would be way too much of a coincidence."  
  
"Well," sighed Ron, "I just don't know what to do about it. Why don't we tell Hermione, Harry, and Ginny? They might have some ideas."  
  
"No!" cried Julie.  
  
Ron looked startled. "Why not?"  
  
"Because," said Julie slowly, "I feel like this is our mystery. Do you know what I'm saying?"  
  
Ron gave her a rather blank look.  
  
"What I'm saying," she said, "is that well... look at Harry. He's always a hero, right? He's always saving people or stopping Voldemort. Now it's our turn to do something amazing. Wouldn't you like to be a hero for once?"  
  
Finally, Ron grinned. "You know I would. But I truly don't have any ideas about this thing."  
  
Julie stared at a paper she had in her hand. She'd written all the information they had about Negoms and Smogen, which wasn't much. At the top, she had written, "Negoms / Smogen."  
  
Suddenly she gasped and couldn't tear her eyes away from the paper.  
  
"What is it, Julie?" cried Ron.  
  
"Smogen, Negoms," she muttered, "I should have realized this! Ron!" she cried, finally turning to him. read me the letters in the name Negoms, starting with the last one first."  
  
Ron took the paper and read off, "S, M, O, G, E, N. So what does S-m-o-g-e-n spell?" he asked.  
  
Julie gave him a look. Ron spelled it to himself once again, and then gasped. "Smogen!"  
  
"Yes," sighed Julie. "This proves they're the same person!"  
  
"Well, yes, I guess it does," Ron said reluctantly. "But now what are we supposed to do about it? And what does it mean, anyway?"  
  
"I bet..." started Julie, thinking hard, "that Negoms went to work for Voldemort-" Ron flinched. "after a year on Quidditch. But after his down fall, he shrunk into hiding. Now that You-Know-Who is a bit more powerful again, Negoms went back to join him. All he had to do was change his name and dye his hair, obviously his face has changed in fifteen years enough so that no one would recognize him, I'm sure not many people knew him in the first place. And now, now... he's working at Hogwarts. There must be a reason."  
  
"So what do you propose we do?" asked Ron.  
  
"I propose," said Julie. "That we follow Smogen tonight and see what he does. I mean, hey, it's at least something to do."  
  
"But we could get caught," said Ron doubtfully.  
  
"Since when did you care about getting caught?" cried Julie. "Come on, let's go!"  
  
************************************************************************  
A/N: Hey, this story is coming along slowly but surely. If you're looking for another good mystery / adventure story, check out my other story, A New Beginning. That one is shorter and updated a lot more frequently.  
  
Please review!  
  
riverlady- yup, I live in the US, in the grand state of New York, home of broadway lights! Thanks for reviewing! 


	10. Forbidden Forest

Ron had asked Harry to borrow the invisibility cloak for that night. Julie was afraid that he would have a hard time getting it without telling Harry the truth.  
  
Surprisingly, he was back with it quite soon. "What did you tell him?" asked Julie.  
  
"Oh, not much," said Ron in an offhand sort of voice. "I couldn't really think of anything to tell him, so I just told him that you and I wanted to sneak up to the astronomy tower and, you know... do a little making out. And we needed the cloak because you were so in fear of getting caught and ruining your chances of becoming a prefect."  
  
"Ron!" cried Julie, then laughed. "All right, let's get a move on. I see Smogen... or is it Negoms?, packing up his stuff on the quidditch field."  
  
Ron sighed. "He's probably just going to his room to get a good night's sleep. Honestly, Julie, must there always be a mystery? And if he is a death eater, this could be very dangerous! I think we should just go back to the common room. Or we could go up to the Astronomy tower..."  
  
"Don't be such a chicken," said Julie. "I mean, you're fifteen years old, surely you're ready for a little excitement? And look, he's not heading towards the school... he's going into the forbidden forest!"  
  
"I'm not going in there, I'm not going in there," Ron muttered under his breath. But it was too late. Julie had already grabbed his hand, and was dragging him under the invisibility cloak towards the woods.  
  
They followed Smogen for awhile, not really getting anywhere in particular. Once, Ron had stepped on a twig and it had made a loud cracking sound. Julie was sure that Smogen must have heard and would whirl around and capture them, but he didn't do anything. It seemed like he didn't even hear it.  
  
Finally he stopped. They stopped walking, too. He stood there, just listening or something for awhile. Suddenly, and without warning, he lunged at them and snatched the cloak away.  
  
Julie gasped. Ron shrieked. And Smogen laughed. A chilling laugh. "So, I've got you captured, have I?" he asked them. They just stared at him.  
  
Then Julie realized what she should be doing. She whipped out her wand and cried, "I won't let you get away with this!"  
  
But Smogen was too quick for them. With one "expelliarmus!" he had both Julie and Ron's wands in his hands.  
  
Then he turned to Julie and sneered. "Don't try and play the part of a heroine, little girl," he told her. "Your real hero and 'rescuer' will come soon enough."  
  
"What do you mean?" growled Ron.  
  
"I should think that would be obvious!" exclaimed Professor Smogen. "Who is always the hero in our world? Who has saved this school from so much 'evil?' Who has been challenged by Lord Voldemort himself?"  
  
"Harry!" gasped Julie.  
  
"That's right. Famous little Harry Potter, hero of the wizard world. But I shall soon be able to present him to my master!"  
  
"What are you talking about?" asked Ron. "Harry is going to come and save us, and defeat you, like he always does!"  
  
"How can he, Ron?" cried Julie in dispair. "He doesn't have any idea where we are! He thinks we're up in the Astronomy tower! Even I don't know where we are!"  
  
"Ahh, but I do. Don't you see?" Smogen cried gleefully, "This was a trap! It was all a trap! You are my bait to Harry Potter!"  
  
Julie said one word. "How?"  
  
Smogen smiled. An ugly, cold smile. "Simple. I wrote a note to him and sent it by owl, just before I came here. I signed it from you two, saying you were trapped in the Forbidden Forest and gave him the exact location. I knew you two would come. You, girl," he rounded on Julie. "I knew you'd figured out my secret. After you left the Quidditch game, you'd left a picture lying on the bleachers. I picked it up and saw it was my old self- Henry Negoms. It was then that I knew you'd figured me out. And I knew you'd come."  
  
"But-" started Julie.  
  
"Wait," Smogen interrupted her. "I will tell you everything. I'm sure you're dying to know about my past and what happened. And you will find out. I will tell you my story, while we wait for your precious Harry Potter to arrive."  
  
************************************************************************  
A/N: I had fun writing this chapter! The story is almost finished. I've been trying to write this story as an action/adventure more than a romance, like most of my other stories are. Funny, but this one isn't nearly as successful. Anyway, it should be finished up soon.  
  
Thanks to all reviewers, and if you haven't already... please review! 


	11. Harry To The Rescue

Julie struggled and tried to escape from the body bind Smogen had put them in. "Would it kill you to let us go?"  
  
The smirk was wiped rom Smogen's face. He turned serious. "Actually, it would. My Lord, Voldemort, would kill me."  
  
There was silence for a few moments, then Smogen spoke again. "Let me tell you my story. When I was young lad, of about eighteen, I was discovered by the quidditch league. They said I had extraordinary talent, and many of them wanted to employ me. But I was also discovered by Lord Voldemort. I soon saw that was the correct path I needed to take in life- to join the dark side."  
  
Ron interrupted. "How can you say that? How can evil be good?"  
  
"Don't you see?" cried Smogen. "This is something all death eaters know. There is no right and wrong, no good or evil. There is only power. What difference does it make if you have to kill a few people to rule? It's either kill or be killed, and only those stupid enough to die call themselves the 'good side.'"  
  
"How can you think that?" roared Ron. "Good will conquer all evil! It will-"  
  
"Shhh!" whispered Julie. "Please, Ron, don't start anything. Remember, he's armed, and we're not." To Smogen, she said, "Will you please continue telling your story?"  
  
"Don't try your sweet little girl act on me!" he sneered. "But anyway, I saw I must join the dark side. For awhile, I got along okay, being a quidditch player and a servant to Lord Voldemort. But then, as I got promoted in the ranks of a death eater, my duties to Voldemort became far more than I was able to handle. I had to choose between quidditch and my Lord."  
  
He sighed, and leaned against a tree. "At first I chose Quidditch. Voldemort soon showed me just how wrong I was. He cursed me, hurt my face badly. This came as an advantage to me later though, since it hid my old identity. I went into hiding, and became a different person, dedicating my whole life to serving Voldemort. After his downfall with Harry Potter, I thought I would be able to become the next Voldemort. But it didn't work that way after Wormtail brought him back. I pretended to be faithful, but Voldemort was uncertain of my reliability. That is why I was sent on a mission to bring him Harry Potter."  
  
At the sound of his name, Harry appeared. "I knew you'd come!" cried Julie.  
  
Harry didn't turn to her. Instead, he faced Smogen. "I see I must be forced to fight you to regain my friends."  
  
Smogen smirked. "Don't think you can save your little buddies this time."  
  
"Wizards duel," demanded Harry. "Right here. On the count of three, we start. One, two-"  
  
But Harry was cut off at two. A voice behind Somgen had whispered a simple spell. A simple 'Petrificus Totalus!'.  
  
"Hermione!" cried Ron.  
  
"Shh," said Hermione. "I don't want people down at Hogwarts to know I'm off at the Forbidden Forest!"  
  
"But, Harry, Hermione- how-" Julie stammered.  
  
"Not now," commanded Harry. "He won't stay in this body bind for long. We have to get him up to Hogwarts, and to Dumbledore. He's waiting for us there. We'll explain everything on the way."  
  
Julie and Ron didn't have enough stength to argue, so they came along, the four of them carrying Smogen. "Are you okay?" Ron whispered to Julie.  
  
"I'm fine," she replied. "It's just thanks to god that Harry and Hermione came along to save us. We were... foolish. Go ahead, Ron, say 'I told you so.'"  
  
Ron looked hurt. "I wasn't going to do that. Seriously, Julie. I would stick by you no matter what."  
  
"Even though I almost got us both killed?"  
  
"No matter what," Ron repeated.  
  
"All right, enough with the mushy stuff," joked Harry. "We're about halfway back to the castle. Not much farther now."  
  
"So, tell us, Harry, how did you figure everything out?" asked Julie.  
  
"Well, it all started like this..."  
  
************************************************************************  
A/N: Hi! Next chapter we'll start with the explaination and this story will pretty much draw to a close. Please review! 


	12. Rewards

Harry laughed. "It's really thanks to Hermione here. She knew something was up, so she asked me about it. To tell you the truth, I've been evesdropping on you."  
  
"Harry!" cried Ron.  
  
"Well, it saved your life, didn't it?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Well, I suppose," grumbled Ron.  
  
"Anyway, when you asked to borrow the invisibility cloak, I'd figured out your real reason was to try and solve this mystery yourself," continued Harry. "Luckily, I watched where you were going, and it wasn't to where you told me. It was to the forbidden forest."  
  
"Where did he say they were going?" inquired Hermione.  
  
Harry grinned. "He said they were going to the Astronomy Tower to snog!"  
  
Hermione clicked her tongue in disapproval, but soon started laughing. "Nice one, Ron!"  
  
"Shut up," he mumbled.  
  
Going on, Harry said, "When Smogen sent me that owl, I knew what was really going on. It was rather lucky he did, so I could locate the exact location. I showed up, pretending to be naive and innocent, going to rescue you. When I saw him there I pretended to be surprised, and then immediately tried to 'save' you again. I knew, of course, that Hermione was still back in the forest, ready to curse Smogen."  
  
They soon reached the castle, and hurried to bring the still petrified body of Professor Smogen up to Dumbledore. The wise old man smiled sadly as the four told their story, and shook his head saying, "I don't know how it is that Hogwarts ends up hiring so many incompetent teachers. But thank you for stopping this."  
  
He then turned to Julie and Ron. "As you two probably already know, it was very foolish of you to go off alone in search of Negoms. You should have informed someone of your plans, and of the information you possessed. You not only risked your own lives, but Harry's as well."  
  
Both Ron and Julie hung their heads in shame. "I'm so sorry," said Julie. "I'll never do anything like this again."  
  
"Me too," added Ron.  
  
"Good," said Professor Dumbledore. "I'm glad you learned your lesson. And Harry, Hermione, since you saved Hogwarts, I believe a little reward is in order. Perhaps some house points for Gryffindor?" asked Dumbledore, with a twinkle in his eye.  
  
The house cup ceramony took place next week, and the hall was decked out in red and gold. Harry and Hermione were treated as heroes- as well as Julie and Ron, since they had solved the mystery. There was much hugging as everyone bid each other goodbye.  
  
"See you next year!" called Julie. Perhaps- just perhaps, next year would be as exciting as this one was.  
  
~*The End*~  
  
************************************************************************  
A/N: It is finally finished! The first story I ever put on ff.net is finished- almost a year later. Please review! And please read one of my other stories, especially my new one, Obsession. It's about Ginny's obsession with Harry.  
  
Thanks to all my reviewers: Nicole Marie, Anne, Anie, Lila Mae, Aaron, Tom Riddle's Son, Omega, f0xyness39, Googooliebokee, riverlady, and Mal! 


End file.
